With the FIFA World Cup days away from kicking off across North America, Washington has turned up the diplomatic heat on Europe over the Ebola crisis spreading through Central Africa, warning that inaction could allow the virus to slip into stadiums and fan zones hosting millions of visitors.
The Trump administration dispatched a formal demarche to European governments on June 1, pressing them to restrict entry for travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, the three countries at the centre of an outbreak the World Health Organisation has declared a public health emergency of international concern. A European Union diplomat based in Africa confirmed the communication, but said EU member states had yet to respond.
The scale of the outbreak has grown significantly. As of June 7, the DRC alone had recorded 550 confirmed cases and 101 confirmed deaths, with 309 patients in isolation. Ituri province remains the hardest-hit region, with 518 confirmed cases spread across 17 health zones, while Uganda had reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths.
Washington moved unilaterally last month, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention barring non-citizens who had been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days from entering the country. American citizens returning from those countries were directed to specific airports for health screenings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made clear he will not allow the virus to reach American soil, with the administration’s posture firmly focused on keeping potentially exposed individuals outside U.S. borders.
A State Department official, speaking anonymously, framed Washington’s twin-track approach, travel curbs and financial assistance, as proof that the U.S. had done its part and that others must now follow. “Other countries must do their part to ensure this outbreak does not spread further. Action is required now. That includes financial contributions and implementing commonsense restrictions on travel from the affected area,” the official said.
The diplomatic push is explicitly tied to the World Cup. “We are engaging diplomatically with countries around the world to coordinate our approach to protect our citizens, including the millions of visitors, fans, athletes and tourists expected during the FIFA World Cup,” the official added. The tournament, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, opens on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Rubio spoke by phone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen specifically about the Ebola response. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a readout that “the Department’s highest priority and focus remain protecting the health of the American people and preventing this Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.”
The administration has sought to deflect criticism over its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and sweeping cuts to foreign aid by pointing to its direct contributions to the outbreak response. Officials say the U.S. has airlifted 150 tons of medical supplies and pledged more than $200 million to affected countries, a sum they describe as the largest single-country contribution to the Ebola effort. A State Department official said those commitments, alongside the travel restrictions, demonstrated that Washington had “stepped up.”
The Bundibugyo strain driving the current outbreak was first identified in Uganda in 2007. While it has historically carried somewhat lower fatality rates than other Ebola strains, previous outbreaks of the virus have recorded mortality rates of between 25 and 50 percent. The EU had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah